Melbourne Express: September 4, 2014

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9:18am on 4 Sep 2014

Wrapping it up here at Melbourne Express. Thanks for joining. We will be back here from 6am tomorrow.

9:17am on 4 Sep 2014

Liberal backbencher Bernie Finn in his finery for a busy day in Parliament today...

He has been back for a day and the State Parliament is already in turmoil. In a few hours time, the political fate of Frankston MP Geoff Shaw will be debated. Here is a rundown of what has been said so far this morning. It seems all are toeing the party line for now.

Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews rejected Premier Denis Napthine's bid to expel Frankston MP Geoff Shaw on ABC News 24 this morning, claiming there is "no legally safe way" to remove the MP. He further called the Premier the "ring master" of "this circus".

Mordialloc MP Lorraine Wredford called Mr Shaw a distraction and said she would be "voting with the government."

Former speaker Ken Smith accused Daniel Andrews of hypocrisy: "Daniel Andrews calls him 'the rorter' and then all of a sudden for political reasons they want to keep him there." Mr Smith said the Frankston MP "had a chance to come back here and do the right thing... he deserves to go."

Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews told Jon Faine on ABC 774 the Premier has lost his way if he thinks rogue MP Geoff Shaw is the most important issue in the state.

Transport Minister Terry Mulder said the Coalition would support the removal of Mr Shaw . ''I think Geoff Shaw has demonstrated time and time again that he's been a massive disruption to the parliament.. [he] hasn't met the requirements, in terms of being a sincere apology to the parliament and the people of Victoria, and we'll deal with it accordingly."

9:01am on 4 Sep 2014

He's conquered the music world, now Gotye has turned his sights towards politics. The Grammy Award winning solo artist is forming a political party with his band mates from Melbourne three-piece, The Basics, and is hoping to run in the upcoming state election in Victoria.

All politicians are towing the party line on Frankston MP Geoff Shaw. Transport Minister Terry Mulder said the Coalition would support the removal of Mr Shaw today. ''I think Geoff Shaw has demonstrated time and time again that he's been a massive disruption to the parliament,'' he told reporters at Parliament Station... [he] hasn't met the requirements, in terms of being a sincere apology to the parliament and the people of Victoria, and we'll deal with it accordingly."

8:51am on 4 Sep 2014

The 7.49am Cranbourne to Flinders Street will run direct from Richmond to Flinders Street, not via the City Loop.

Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews tells Jon Faine on ABC 774 the Premier has lost his way if the thinks rogue MP Geoff Shaw is the most important issue in the state... meanwhile, Faine is really calling the Opposition Leader 'Dan'..

More support for Premier Napthine's bid to expel Geoff Shaw... former speaker Ken Smith has accused Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews of hypocrisy: "Daniel Andrews calls him 'the rorter' and then all of a sudden for political reasons they want to keep him there." Mr Smith said Mr Shaw "had a chance to come back here and do the right thing... he deserves to go."

More on the Shawdown round 2: Mordialloc MP Lorraine Wredford has said Frankston MP is a distraction for the government. "We should be talking about what we've achieved since we've been in government," she said. When asked how she'd vote she said she'd be "voting with the government".

8:38am on 4 Sep 2014

Delays, delays delays.... now on the Cranbourne and Pakenham Lines. City-bound delays up to 10 minutes due to train congestion. The 7.53am Dandenong to Flinders Street will run direct from Richmond to Flinders St, not via the City Loop.

8:36am on 4 Sep 2014

Melbourne City Council has sided with the "well-connected" residents of a prestigious St Kilda Road apartment building to reject a permit for a controversial weekly design market, city reporter Aisha Dow reports. FULL STORY HERE.

8:35am on 4 Sep 2014

Updating the weather this morning and a cloudy day today with the chance of showers over the western suburbs this afternoon. Light winds in the late afternoon too. A top of 16 degrees.

A cloudy day today with light winds.

8:31am on 4 Sep 2014

Another update, the 7.32am Cranbourne to Flinders Street will run direct from Richmond to Flinders Street, not via the City Loop.

In case you missed it, a group of RMIT students have launched a petition calling for Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle to build a statue of a dim sim to "honour this piping hot beacon of our all-inclusive culture". FULL STORY HERE.

8:27am on 4 Sep 2014

Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle will be on Gold104.3 shortly... he wants more say over which skyscrapers get approved or rejected in the CBD. For more, READ HERE.

Robert Doyle wants to claw back power from the planning minister to approve or reject CBD skyscrapers. Photo: Angela Wylie

8:22am on 4 Sep 2014

And, there will be 10-minute city-bound delays on the Sunbury Line. The trains should be running on time from 9am... after everyone is due at work.

8:20am on 4 Sep 2014

Trains lines are being cancelled from nearly every direction this morning. The 8.34am Frankston to Flinders Street has been cancelled and the 7.21am Pakenham to Flinders Street will run direct from Richmond to Flinders Street, not via the City Loop.

8:14am on 4 Sep 2014

"In Australia we can't kill snake eggs but we are quite happy to kill an egg in the tummy and it should be the safest place for a baby to be" - it was unforgettable, indeed. It won't feel much like a poetry reading, but perusing this list of Frankston MP Geoff Shaw's memorable quotes is good fun for any political junkie. READ LIST HERE.